Sydney Opera House construction. About the Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is the busiest performing arts centre in the world. Since its opening in 1973, it has brought countless hours of entertainment to millions of people and has continued to attract the best in world class talent year after year. Even today, many visitors are surprised to find that the Sydney Opera House is really a complex of theatres and halls all linked together beneath its famous shells. In an average year, the Sydney Opera House presents theatre, musicals, opera, contemporary dance, ballet, every form of music from symphony concerts to jazz as well as exhibitions and films. It averages around 3,000 events each year with audiences totaling up to two million. In addition, approximately 200,000 people take a guided tour of the complex each year. The Opera House operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year except Christmas Day and Good Friday. History and Background Prior to the Sydney Opera House, Sydney had no adequate dedicated music venue. Orchestral concerts were given in its Town Hall, and staging opera was almost impossible due to the lack of suitable stages.

The appointment of Sir Eugene Goosens to the posts of Chief Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Director of the NSW Conservatorium of Music in 1947 brought into Sydney's musical life a focal point for the need to create a better venue for the performing arts. Upon accepting his position, Goosens told reporters that his plans included the creation of a concert hall suitable for opera as well as orchestral performances. The idea was hardly revolutionary; indeed the post-war Labour government had given lip service to the concept as part of its reconstruction and redevelopment programs. However, apart from occasional public announcements and exhortation from Goosens, nothing happened for seven more years. Finally, late in 1954, the State Government of New South Wales, finding itself increasingly embarrassed by its own inaction, became involved in a moderately supportive manner. The Premier of the day, Joseph Cahill, was enthusiastic about the idea and it was he who set up the committee which got the project under way. He also set up an appeal fund to raise money for the building. When it became obvious that the fund would not even raise the $7 million the Opera House was first estimated to cost, Mr Cahill introduced the Opera House Lotteries.

The original appeal fund raised about $900,000 and the rest of the $102 million that the Opera House ended up costing came from the profits of the lottery. The building was completely paid for by July 1975. The NSW Government today contributes about 30% of the annual cost of maintaining and operating the complex. Construction The committee set up by the Government selected the site for the building. Known as Bennelong Point, it was named after the first Aborigine to speak English, who was born on the site. Until this time, it was used as wharfing area and had a rather unsightly tram storage barn prominently occupying much of the site. An international competition was organised for the design of a performing arts complex, and although this was well known, the misnomer "Opera House" caught on. The competition called for a structure that contained two theatres within it - a large hall for opera, ballet, and large scale symphony concerts capable of seating 3,000-3,500 people, and a smaller hall for drama, chamber music and recitals, capable of seating approx 1,200 people.

Design entrants were told that they were free to choose any approach that they wished, and that there were no limits to what the potential cost of the structure could be. 233 different design entries were submitted from all over the world. The winner of the competition, announced in January 1957, was the Danish architect Jorn Utzon (born in 1918). It was originally envisaged that it would take four years to build the Opera House; in actual fact, it wasn't completed until mid 1973. Construction of the building commenced in March 1959 and proceeded in slow stages over the next fourteen years. At the time that construction was started, Utzon protested that he hadn't yet completed the designs for the structure, but the government insisted that construction get underway, and so it did! At least as much a problem as starting the construction prior to completing the revolutionary design, was the fact that the government itself changed the requirements for the building after construction had started. The original design called for two theatres. The government changed its mind and required the building to be altered and that four theatres now be incorporated into the design.

Recently, some internal changes to the structure have enabled a fifth theatre to be created. The original design was so boldly conceived that it proved structurally impossible to build. After four years of research Utzon altered his design and gave the roof vaults a defined spherical geometry. This enabled the roofs to be constructed in a pre-cast fashion, greatly reducing both time and cost. The project was subject to many delays and cost over-runs, and (probably unfairly) Utzon was often blamed for these. A new government was elected in NSW in 1965, partly on the campaign promise to "do something" about the cost overruns with the design. The government withheld fee payments to Utzon and refused to agree to his design ideas and proposed construction methods. This pretty much forced Utzon to resign, which he did in February 1966 as Stage II was nearing completion. A team of Australian architects took over and after an extensive review of the proposed functions of the building, proceeded with its completion. The first performance in the complex, in the Opera Theatre on 28 September 1973, was The Australian Opera's production of War and Peace by Prokofiev.

The Sydney Opera House was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973. About the Building There are nearly 1000 rooms in the Opera House including the five main auditoria. There is also a Reception Hall, five rehearsal studios, four restaurants, six theatre bars, extensive foyer and lounge areas, sixty dressing rooms and suites, library, an artists' lounge and canteen known as the "Green Room", administrative offices and extensive plant and machinery areas. The building covers about 1.8 hectares (4.5 acres) of its 2.2 hectare (5.5 acre) site. It has about 4.5 hectares (11 acres) of usable floor space. It is approximately 185 m (611 ft) long and 120m (380 ft) wide at its widest point. The highest roof vault (above the Concert Hall) is 67m (221 ft) above sea level. The roofs are made up of 2,194 pre-cast concrete sections. These sections weigh up to 15.5 tonnes (15 tons) each.

They are held together by 350 km (217 miles) of tensioned steel cable. The roofs weigh 27,230 tonnes and are covered with exactly 1,056,056 Swedish ceramic tiles arranged in 4,253 pre-cast lids. The entire building weighs 161,000 tonnes. It is supported on 580 concrete piers sunk up to 25 m (82 ft) below sea level. The roofs are supported on 32 concrete columns up to 2.5 m (8 ft) square. The exterior and interior walls, stairs and floors are faced with pink aggregate granite which was quarried at Tarana in New South Wales. The two woods used extensively to decorate the interiors are brush box and white birch plywood which were both cut in northern NSW. There are 6,225 sq m (67,000 sq ft) of glass, made in France, in the mouths of the roofs and other areas of the building. It is in two layers - one plain and the other demi-topaz tinted. About 2,000 panes in 700 sizes were installed.

There are 645 km (400 miles) of electrical cable. The power supply, equivalent to the needs of a town of 25,000 people, is regulated by 120 distribution boards. Twenty six air-conditioning plant rooms move more than 28,500 cubic metres (1,000,000 cubic feet) of air per minute through 19.5 km (12 miles) of ducting. The Concert Hall The largest hall is the Concert Hall, which seats 2,679. It is used for a wide variety of performances including symphony concerts, chamber music, opera, dance, choral concerts, pop, jazz and folk concerts, variety shows and conventions. The acoustics of the Concert Hall are highly regarded internationally. The ceiling, which rises up to 25 meters (82 feet) above the platform, and upper walls are paneled with white birch plywood, and the lower walls, stairs, boxes and stage platform are paneled with a hard brown wood, brush box. These Australian woods are used throughout the building.

The volume of 26,400 cubic meters (880,000 cubic feet) gives a reverberation time of approximately two seconds allowing symphonic music to be heard with a full, rich and mellow tone. Above the platform are suspended 18 adjustable acrylic acoustic rings or "clouds", which assist musicians by reflecting some of the sound of the instruments straight back to the platform. The Concert Hall Grand Organ was designed and built by Australian, Ronald Sharp, between 1969 and 1979. It is the largest mechanical tracker action organ in the world with 10,500 pipes. There are five manual and one pedal keyboards and 127 stops arranged in 205 ranks. The Opera Theatre The Opera Theatre, seating 1,547, is mainly used for performances of opera, ballet and dance. The auditorium, like the Concert Hall, is paneled in wood for acoustic reasons, but the ceiling and walls are painted black to allow the audience to focus its attention upon the stage.

The proscenium opening is 12 metres (38 feet) wide and 7 metres (24 feet) high and the stage extends back 25 metres (82 feet). Built into the stage floor is a revolve 14 metres (46 feet) in diameter and there are four platform lifts 10.5 by 3.5 metres (35 by 12 feet) which raise and lower the scenery between the set storage area at ground level and the stage 10 metres (33 feet) above. The orchestra pit can accommodate up to 75 musicians. The stage curtain is a tapestry designed by the Australian artist John Coburn and is woven from Australian wood at a factory near Aubusson in France. Of abstract patterns in bright warm colours it is known as the Curtain of the Sun. The Drama Theatre The Drama Theatre accommodates performances of drama and dance. It seats 544. This auditorium, like the Opera Theatre, is black but the rather low ceiling is made of refrigerated aluminum panels which help to create an even temperature without a draught.

The stage, which is about 15 metres (52 feet) square, contains two revolves, one inside the other, which can turn separately or together. The stage curtain, also designed by John Coburn, is similar to that in the Opera Theatre but is woven in dark colours. It is known as the Curtain of the Moon. The Playhouse, Studio, Reception Hall, and Foyer Seating 398, the Playhouse is used for small cast plays, lectures and seminars. It is also a fully equipped cinema. Originally designed for chamber music as well, the Playhouse is paneled with the white birch plywood. A new venue, The Studio (created by redesigning some of the interior spaces) was opened in March 1999. This is designed for "contemporary" and modern performing arts, and depending on the seating layout, can seat up to 364 people. The Reception Hall and the large northern foyers of the Concert Hall and the Opera Theatre, all with spectacular views overlooking Sydney Harbour, can be hired for a wide variety of functions including meetings and conferences, wedding receptions, lunches, dinners and parties. There are also four restaurants as well as bars in all the foyers.

Sydney Opera House, Australia - Sydney Travel information The Sydney Opera House, Sydney The Sydney Opera House has become, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney's best-known landmark and international symbol. The base for the building was started in 1959 - years before the designs were finished. It took four years to design by Danish architect Jorn Utzon and by 1962 the designs were finalized and construction began. In total it took 14 years to build and was officially opened on the 20th of October 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II. Utzon's radical 'sails' design stretched engineering knowledge to the limit and imposed some unfortunate limitations on its functions, largely because the government insisted it house four halls, not two as he had planned originally. It cannot, for instance, house a grand opera because its opera stage is too small. The Sydney Opera House is nonetheless a fascinating building and heart of the city's cultural scene. It opened with a concert hall, an opera theatre, a drama theatre and a recital hall, as well as restaurants and bars. A fifth theatre was added within the structure in 1998.

Sydney Opera House | australia.gov.au Sydney Opera House Sydney Opera House Sydney Opera House from the harbour, image by McDaniel Woolf Architects The Sydney Opera House is Australia's most recognisable building and is an icon of Australia's creative and technical achievement. Since its completion in 1973 it has attracted worldwide acclaim for its design and construction, enhanced by its location on Bennelong Point within a superb harbour setting. The design of the building, with its soaring white roof shell shaped sails atop a massive red granite platform, has been internationally acclaimed as an architectural icon of the 20th century. As a dominant sculptural building that can be seen and experienced from all sides, it is the focal point of Sydney Harbour and a reflection of its character. It is placed right at the end of Bennelong Point, juxtaposed to the harbour and completely to scale in relation to the Harbour Bridge, the sandstone cliff face, Macquarie Street and Circular Quay. Viewed from a ferry, from the air, or by approach on foot, the vision is dramatic and unforgettable. Sydney Opera House construction, 1964, image by Max Dupain, courtesy of State Library of New South Wales It took 16 years to build.

Constructed between 1957 and 1973, is a masterpiece of modern architectural design, engineering and construction technology in Australia. It exhibits the creative genius of its designer, the Pritzker Prize winner Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the successful engineering by the Danish firm Ove Arup and Partners, and the Australian building contractors M R Hornibrook. The completion of the project was overseen by the architects Hall, Todd and Littlemore, and the story of its construction was one of great controversy. Complex engineering problems and escalating costs made it a source of great public debate that only subsided when the beauty and achievement of the completed building placed it on the world stage. The technical challenge of how to construct the roof sails took four years to solve. The roof sails were based on the geometry of the sphere and Utzon used this to demonstrate the creative potential and the assembly of prefabricated, repeated components. It was seen as a structure at the leading edge of endeavour. Today the Sydney Opera House is a national cultural centre that has gained widespread recognition and respect as a performing arts venue, and includes a concert hall, opera and drama theatres, a playhouse and a studio.

It is a fitting showcase for many of the world's leading performers. As Utzon envisioned, the Sydney Opera House reflects its pivotal place in Australia's creative history ‘an individual face for Australia in the world of art' (Frampton and Cava, 1995 in Statement of Values for Sydney Opera House National Heritage Listing) The vision Utzon showing model of Sydney Opera House, Courtesy of Sydney Opera House. The architect Jørn Utzon reached an unique understanding of the site at Bennelong Point—its topography and relationship to the harbour and surrounding land marks—by studying naval charts, photographs, a site plan, and watching a short film on Sydney. It was his intention to create a sculptural form that would relate as naturally to the harbour as the sails of its yachts. Organic or natural forms were important principles in his design, ‘evident in the leaf form pattern devised for the ceramic roof tiles. (Australian Heritage Database, Sydney Opera House). Utzon used ‘nature's colours on the exterior. That was the general idea—concrete, granite and ceramics.

White shell as contrast' (Jørn Utzon, June 2000 in Sydney Opera House, Utzon Design Principles, May 2002) The concrete platform is faced in red-granite, and this material is also used for the paving on the waterfront promenade which surrounds the building. Its uniformity was intended to give a rock-like character that was desired for the base, ‘as a contrast and anchor to the soaring roofs'. The granite underwent a process of needle hammering ‘giving a slightly matt surface which should also have the advantage of weathering evenly'. (Jørn Utzon, Descriptive Narrative, 1965, State Records Office of NSW in Sydney Opera House, Utzon Design Principles, May 2002) ‘A large sculptural building' From the very outset Utzon ‘was convinced that a new building in such a position has to be seen from all sides, and has to be a large sculptural building'. He was inspired by the sandstone heads at the entrance to Sydney Harbour and believed that the approach to the new building should be similar, where one could look upwards and, only at the last minute, get a magnificent view of the harbour or sea.

This feeling of moving upwards, with the white roof-shells, determined the shaping of the large platform or plateau which would house all the performance facilities. In turn, the platform was influenced by Utzon's experience of Mayan architecture in Mexico, where there are wide stairs leading to the platform which gives one a limitless view. For this reason he made the large staircase at the Sydney Opera House 100 metres wide and created the plateau on the top, to give people the feeling of liberation from daily life and being in another world. (Jorn Utzon and the Sydney Opera House) The roof shells Sydney Opera House, photograph by Dragi Markovic, Australian Heritage Database 010444-5290 As work progressed, no definite geometry for the roof shells had been established although Utzon was working on solving the geometry of the tiling, relying upon full scale mock-ups to solve the problem. Utzon noted that, as was often the case with the construction, the solution of one problem led to another. As work progressed the shells were developed on the geometry of a sphere – it was this spherical surface which led to similar curvature throughout.

Utzon thought this ‘an elegant solution to a construction' which would otherwise have led to a lot of scaffolding and shuttering. The roof shells had to span large areas to accommodate the main hall and a smaller hall. The solution devised by Utzon and Ove Arup and Partners, the engineers, was to produce arched segments of varying curvature. The concrete shells were produced by cutting a three-sided segment out of a sphere. The roof shells and their vaulted concrete ribs were pre-cast and held together by pre-stressing steel tendons, an innovation at the time. (Sydney Opera House, Utzon Design Principles, May 2002) The white ceramic tiled surface Detail of Roof Tiles, 1994, image by Anthony Browell Archive, courtesy of the Sydney Opera House archive. Utson commented that this resolution of the spherical roof-shells ‘gave way for a very logical and orderly geometry for the tile lids that were to cover the entire surface of the shells'.

One of the judges, Eero Saarinen, told Utzon after the result of the competition was made public: ‘keep it white', because the Harbour (surrounding buildings) is dark, with all its dark, red or brown-brick structures. The tiles were a major item in the building. 'It is important that such a large, white sculpture in the harbour setting catches and mirrors the sky with all its varied lights dawn to dusk, day to day, throughout the year.' The citation from the American architect Louis Kahn describes the importance of this surface and of the decision to make the surface white: The sun did not know how beautiful its light was, until it was reflected off this building. (Louis Kahn in Sydney Opera House, Utzon Design Principles, May 2002) Utzon spent twelve months developing the tiles with one of the best ceramic factories in the world, Höganäs in Sweden. Inspired by a Chinese tradition in ceramic firing, for a glass-like finish, Utzon worked with Höganäs to develop the tiles which were specifically suited to the building.

A partially-tiled vault, 1964, photo Max Dupain, courtesy of State Library of NSW Höganäs developed a technique in which the raw tile is painted with a clay slip of the same material and then fired. It is overlaid with a glossy, transparent glaze before it is fired the final time. This gave a beautiful lustre or sheen to the surface that would retain its visual qualities even when the tile became dirty. Over one million tiles were cast into precast concrete lids on the ground, and then bonded onto the ribbed superstructure of the shells (Frampton and Cava 1995, 280 in Australian Heritage Database, Sydney Opera House). The ceramic tiles were part of Utzon's plan to preserve the character of the whole building through the ages; the top surface of the shells is covered with a weatherproof membrane, a series of precast panels matching the rib segments and covered with white glazed tiles. All the materials are non-corrosive, weather resistant, durable, and will age and acquire a patina without changing their character.

(Jørn Utzon, ‘Descriptive Narrative, Sydney Opera House', January 1965 in Sydney Opera House Utzon Design Principles, May 2002) The glass wall facing the harbour The glass wall that was built after Utzon left the project was in line with the glass wall that he envisioned with ‘its feeling of hanging from the shell', although the original solution was not splayed out as it was ultimately . These glass walls provide spectacular views from the main foyers out across Sydney Harbour. Sydney Opera House glassed in windows with harbour views, anonymous The solution used was based on Utzon's sketches—drawings of mullions made of twin pipes and a distance between them, later constructed of a light steel framework supported off the concrete ribs. He drew inspiration from nature for organic form with the ‘glass wall ribs like bird's wings'. From the point of view of science, the Opera House embodies within its structure the integration of sophisticated geometry, technology and art. It epitomises the extraordinary creative potential of the assembly of prefabricated, repeated components. (Norberg-Schulz 1996, 101 in Australian Heritage Database, Sydney Opera House ).

Inside, a sensory experience – colour and sound Entering inside the performance halls was to be a culmination of space and colour; the meeting place between the performers and the audience… a succession of visual and audio stimuli, which increase in intensity as you approach the building, as you enter, and finally sit down in the halls, culminating with the performance. (Sydney Opera House Utzon Design Principles, May 2002) Whilst the design of the interiors was completed by architects Todd, Hall and Littlemore after the departure of Utzon in 1966, it was Utzon's intention to create a rich expression of colour for the interior in order to put people in a festive mood, and take them out of their daily lives. The Sydney Opera House Utzon Room, courtesy of the Sydney Opera House In discussions in 1999, Utzon referred to Chinese and Buddhist art, temples and caves, where the interior colours are very different from the outside, and colours range from cream to yellow and red to orange.

This experience was the feeling of what he wanted it to be like inside the theatre, noting the tradition in Europe of red velvet seats (Jørn Utzon, Jan Utzon and Richard Johnson, ‘Private Records of Discussion' Mallorca, April, October & November 1999 in Sydney Opera House Utzon Design Principles, May 2002 ) Inside, the two main halls … plywood panels were designed as part of the internal lining to conceal the services. Linings in this [concert] hall are birch plywood, in radiating ribs on a suspended hollow raft ceiling, running down the walls to laminated brush box linings which match the floor. The Opera Theatre by contrast has black-stained ceilings and walls…The general experience of the interiors of the Sydney Opera House is one of majestic spaces defined by strong structural forms. (Australian Heritage Database, Sydney Opera House) Opera Theatre proscenium curtain designed by John Coburn, Curtain of the Sun, 1973 Both of the main halls, the concert and opera, have proscenium curtains designed by John Coburn.

In addition, two large murals were commissioned to enhance the aesthetic values of the interior – John Olsen's ‘Five Bells' (based on Kenneth Slessor's poem), and Michael Nelson Jagamara's ‘Possum Dreaming'. The design of the tapestry curtains by John Coburn reflected the vision and ‘its vibrant energy— characterising Australia's natural and cultural life'. When Sydney Opera House opened in 1973, Coburn's Curtain of the Sun was hung in the proscenium of the Opera Theatre. ( The Curtain of the Moon hung similarly in the Drama Theatre.) The curtains were commissioned in 1970 and woven in Aubusson, France. They were woven from Australian wool, and John Coburn spent three years there overseeing the project. Opera Hall exterior wall from gallery walk, anonymous The acoustical shape designed by Utzon with Danish and then German acoustic engineers was absolutely clear. The design principle ‘was that, rather than changing the acoustics by absorbing certain unwanted sounds or frequencies, it is better to adjust the physical shape of the hall in such a way that you achieve the perfect acoustical properties'.

(Jørn Utzon, ‘Sydney Opera House', June 2000) The German firm Cremer and Gabler had designed more than 30 concert halls around the world, including a famous hall in Berlin for Berlin's Philharmonic Orchestra. The design was tested in models made on a scale of 1 to 10 in their laboratory. The adjustment to the physical shape of the hall: has proved superior to the conventional small size panels since the latter do not reflect the deepest notes from orchestral instruments ... When I asked the acoustical experts if we should change the shape of the acoustical ceiling further they say, “No, no don't do that because it is perfect, actually it is almost too perfect”. (Jørn Utzon, ‘Descriptive Narrative, Sydney Opera House' January 1965 in Sydney Opera House Utzon Design Principles, May 2002) The Process In 1952 the Premier of New South Wales, Joe Cahill, announced the government's intention to build an opera house with the intention of putting the city on the world map.

An international competition was announced in January 1956, attracting more than 220 final entries received from 32 countries. Site Plan, Jørn Utzon : Plans of SOH, Oct 1958-1973 State Records NSW Utzon's design won the competition in 1957 and was hailed by the architectural critic Sigfried Giedion as opening a new chapter in contemporary architecture. In September 1957, the New South Wales Government announced the establishment of an Opera House Lottery to pay for the construction costs of the building, and over the next 16 years it yielded just over $100 million for construction. Utzon's designs for the Opera House were initially presented as concept diagrams, a normal process for competitions. On the insistence of Premier Cahill due to the timing of the March 1959 election, building commenced before the design for the shells and their supports had been resolved. Consequently, design and construction were undertaken in parallel so: construction began at the building site a long time before we had completed the drawings, and construction drawings were being produced just ahead of construction as the building grew.

(Utzon, June 2000 in Sydney Opera House Utzon Design Principles, May 2002) In 1965, there were difficulties between Utzon and a new NSW Government, led by Premier Askin. The venture experienced cost blow-outs and there were occasions when the NSW Government was tempted to call a halt. In 1966, with arguments about cost and the interior design, and the Government withholding progress payments, the situation reached crisis point. Rallies in support of the Opera House, 1966, anonymous, courtesy of Sydney Opera House History Davis Hughes, the minister in charge, simply refused to pay Utzon. As a result Utzon resigned in February 1966, with the podium in place and the roof structure nearly complete. It proved disastrous for Utzon personally and for his vision as well. In spite of petitions, rallies and support from leading Australian architects, Utzon was not recalled to finish the project. Instead the government appointed new architects who essentially redesigned the rest of the project and blew the budget out further from $18.4 million to $102 million.

(Jørn Utzon and the Construction of Sydney Opera House) In the changes that followed the exterior remained intact, but the newly appointed team of architects made significant changes to his designs for the interior. These changes included reversing the main performance spaces so that the opera theatre became the concert hall and the opera was relegated to a theatre space that was once described by Dame Joan Sutherland as a 'pocket handkerchief of a stage'. (Jørn Utzon and the Construction of Sydney Opera House) In 1999, after more than 30 years, there was reconciliation with the Sydney Opera House which resulted in Utzon submitting his Design Principles booklet to the Sydney Opera House Trust in 2002. He noted that ‘luckily Ove Arup stayed on the job; otherwise it would never have been completed. He acknowledged that ‘the Opera House today is of course not my or our building, it is as much a building made by Hall, Todd & Littlemore'. Utzon stated that he wanted the Australian architect Richard Johnson to work on any modifications and consequently, they collaborated on The Colonnade, the Accessibility and Western Foyers Project, and the concept designs for the Opera Theatre Renewal Project.

After more than 30 years, the Sydney Opera House had its first interior designed by Utzon in collaboration with his son Jan Utzon and Richard Johnson. The Utzon Room, a transformed reception hall that brings to life Jørn Utzon's original vision for his masterpiece, was officially opened on September 2004. In 2003, Opera House executives indicated that the long-term plan for the redesigned opera hall was to restore the Curtain of the Sun to the proscenium arch. (Tony Stephens, Curtain call, SMH October 25, 2003) The site – Bennelong's Point Sydney Opera House site works, 1964, photo Max Dupain, courtesy of State Library of NSW The beginning of European settlement in Australia in 1788 occurred within a short distance of the site. In 1790, under the directions of Governor Arthur Phillip, a hut was built for Bennelong, a prominent Aboriginal figure in and around the European settlement. Bennelong solicited the government to ‘build him a hut at the extremity of the eastern point of the cove'.

This, the governor, who was very desirous of preserving the friendly intercourse which seemed to have taken place, readily promised, and gave the necessary directions for its being built. 'The hut, built of brick, twelve feet square, and roofed with tiles, was completed in November 1790.' (David Collins, An Account of The English Colony in New South Wales , 1798, vol 1, p. 113) The Architect – Jørn Utzon The Danish architect Jørn Utzon (1918–2008) grew up in the town of Aalborg, where his father was a naval architect and engineer and director of the local shipyard. A keen sailor, Utzon originally intended to follow his father as a naval engineer, but opted to study architecture. ( Utzon Centre) I of course had the marvellous thing that we had the shipyard adjacent ... you see big ships being built with the ribs etc. In the shipyard small men made one big steam ship every six months and you would see the whole process.

(Jørn Utzon, Jan Utzon and Richard Johnson, ‘Private Records of Discussion' Mallorca, April, October & November 1999 in SOH Design Principles, 2002) Utzon believed that the principles of boat building and naval architecture would help solve the engineering and architectural processes required when construction started. Jørn Utzon, Pritzker Architecture Prize, Jørn Utzon, 2003 Laureate In 1949 Utzon received a grant that enabled him and his wife Lis to travel extensively in USA and Mexico, coming into contact with some of the most influential architects of his day, like Frank Lloyd Wright's school at Taliesin, Mies van der Rohe, Ray and Charles Eames, Richard Neutra and others. Utzon also went to Paris and met with Le Corbusier and the sculptor Henri Laurens, whose influence taught him much about form. (Sydney Opera House, Architect Jørn Utzon) The Sydney Opera House has received many awards for its design and construction.

These include the Royal Australian Institute of Architects Gold Award to Jørn Utzon in 1973 upon its completion, the United Kingdom Institution of Structural Engineers Special Award in 1973, and a Commemorative Sulman Award in 1992. In 2003, Utzon received the prestigious international Pritzker Prize for his contributions to architecture and in recognition of his masterpiece, the Sydney Opera House. The Pritzer Prize Juror, architect Frank Gehry, observed that Utzon made a building well ahead of its time, far ahead of available technology, and he persevered through extraordinary malicious criticism to a building that changed the image of an entire country. It is the first time in our lifetime that such an epic piece of architecture gained such universal presence. (Pritzker Architecture Prize, Jørn Utzon, 2003 Laureate) The Sydney Opera House was included in the National Heritage List in 2005, and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007.

Performing arts site Paul Robeson singing to workers, 1973, courtesy of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Prior to its opening in 1973, the renowned black American actor and singer Paul Robeson climbed onto the scaffolding of the Sydney Opera House during construction, and sang to the workers. At its opening it was acclaimed by Martin Bernheimer, the music critic of the Los Angeles Times, as ‘the most beautiful home constructed for the lyric and related muses in modern times'. (Kerr 2003, in Australian Heritage Database, Sydney Opera House) Since its opening, the Opera House has attracted great artists from across the world, and hosted performances by many nationally and internationally acclaimed performers. These include Joan Sutherland, Kiri Te Kanawa, June Bronhill, Joan Carden, Luciano Pavarotti, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein, Yehudi Menuhin, Bob Hope, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Mikhail Barishnikov, Twyla Tharp, Ella Fitzgerald, Nana Mouskouri, Harry Secombe and Crowded House.

Since 1973 over 45 million people have attended over 100,000 performances. (SOH website). Today, the Sydney Opera House is one of the busiest performing arts centres in the world, each year staging up to 2500 performances and events, drawing around 1.5 million patrons, and attracting an estimated four million visitors. Sydney Opera House Festival Poster 1973, featuring the John Coburn designed tapestry curtains. Courtesy of Powerhouse Museum Sydney Opera House facts and figures The Sydney Opera house: was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973 presented, as its first performance, the Australian Opera's production of War and Peace cost $AU 102,000,000 to build conducts 3000 events each year provides guided tours to 200,000 people each year has an annual audience of 2 million for its performances includes 1000 rooms Jørn Utzon, ‘Design Principles', 2000 published as Sydney Opera House.

Utzon Design Principles , May 2002 NSW State Records, Sydney Opera House Guide - A brief history of the Sydney Opera House plus a select list of records relating to the design, construction and official opening NSW State Records, Digital Gallery, Sydney Opera House - documents in NSW State Archives including: The Brown Book , 1955. The booklet for the conditions and programme for the International Competition for a National Opera House at Bennelong Point, Sydney Competition Drawings by Jorn Utzon , 1957. These are the original competition drawings for which the assessors of the Committee awarded Jørn Utzon first prize of £5,000 on 29 January 1957. The Red Book, 1958 This report, known as the Red Book, was presented by Jørn Utzon to the Premier and the Opera House Committee The Yellow Book , 'Sydney Opera House', 1962. This comprises plans submitted by Jørn Utzon and consultants.

Sydney Opera House photos and information Engineering Timelines - Ove Arup - Sydney Opera House introduction  early education  Christiani & Nielsen  London  Lubetkin & Tecton  war years  consultant & partner  Sydney Opera House  Kingsgate footbridge  character  total design  selected works  sources Sydney Opera House — 1957-1973 No project highlights the dramas, conflicts, successes and failures of Arup's vision for the architect-engineer relationship more than Sydney Opera House. The story of the building of this extraordinary structure and the nature of its revolutionary design cemented his reputation. It is hard to overestimate the importance of this project to Arup personally, to Australia politically, and to architecture internationally. The building took many years to construct and its Danish architect, Jørn Utzon (1918-2008), left the project before its completion. How the story began was telling, given what was to follow. Utzon entered the design competition with no more than a sketch on a scrap of paper. The judging panel didn't include a single engineer.

The sketch, with its ambitious soaring sails, or shells, impressed the panel. But construction began before the design had been fully researched and so the problems started. If present-day computer technology had been available at the time the sketches might have been put aside and the shell design resolved. As it was, the only hope for resolving the incredibly complex geometries of the roof structure was through an intensive collaboration between architect and engineer, which is why the Opera House is one of, if not the, greatest symbol of 20th Century architect-engineer collaborative achievement. The personal similarities and differences between Arup and Utzon were almost on a par. They were both passionate, both Danish but each very determined and not always in agreement when it came to their opinions on beauty and practicality. Unlike Arup, Utzon was neither a scholar nor an intellectual. However, at first it seemed that Arup's dream of a deeply collaborate architect-engineer relationship was about to be realised. His initial opinion of Utzon was favourable in that direction. Their first meeting took place in early 1957, soon after Arup had sent one of his congratulatory letters to Utzon asking him if he wanted to work with another Dane and gain specialist advice from his company.

Arup's partner, Ronald Jenkins, was, he pointed out, a "leading authority on the calculation of shell structures". By late February 1957 Ove Arup & Partners' appointment as engineer was confirmed. By 1958, Utzon and Arup had visited Sydney together. Hopes for what seemed a perfect union were high. Amazingly, this was the young architect's first major project to be built. He had won many other competitions but not a single one of the winning designs had been commissioned. His consequent lack of experience and political naiveté were to cause great difficulty. In 1958, Ove Arup & Partners engineer Jack Zunz, who had joined the company in 1950 and would later take over as chairman, took over the running of the project together with Michael Lewis. The excitement Arup felt about Utzon's design at first overrode the practical problems of construction. However, the state government of New South Wales soon had a crisis of confidence in the roof structure and called in Zunz and Utzon to convince them that it could in fact be built. In spite of ill-health, Arup stepped in.

He was instrumental in convincing the government that the project was viable, and that his engineering solution for the shells was sound enough for it to continue. The shells, each specified to a different curvature in the original design, took Ove Arup & Partners six frustrating years to resolve and the project tested the concept and practice of Arup engineer-architect relationship ideas to the limit. Arup tried to convince Utzon not to insist on smooth surfaces for the shells in favour of ribbed structures that could be more easily realised. Tension mounted unbearably as the struggle to resolve the roof structure brought out the defensive and competetive sides to Utzon's character. It took all Arup's energy, as well as endless research, to reach the eventual breakthrough. Utzon eventually conceded that the shells should have a uniform curvature, making it possible to use repeated precast units. Precisely who made this decision is still disputed but Arup was generous in attributing the idea to Utzon. Collaboration-wise another major difficulty was distance, plus working between offices in Denmark and London. Neither engineer nor architect had an office in Sydney in the early years of the project. The building itself had other challenges besides the shell roofs.

These included the approach steps and concourse, the acoustics of the performance spaces, disputes about the seating capacities, and Utzon's focus on the exterior rather than the interior of the design. Space was being sacrificed on the interior in favour of the resolution of other issues, while for the exterior finances were being stretched beyond all reason. Utzon wanting his shells to be realised no matter what the cost. By 1963, relationships were seriously deteriorating both between the engineer and architect and between Utzon and the Australian government. In 1965 Utzon built a brick wall — literally (he had the connecting doorway bricked up) as well as metaphorically — between his office space and that of the engineers. In 1966, utterly overwhelmed by how complex the project had become, Utzon resigned. However, the project still gripped Arup. Determination to fulfil a dream kept him from turning away from what he knew was no ordinary building. Sydney Opera House was totally unprecedented and is still one of the world's most talked-about structures. Utzon's name is of course synonymous with it, but the perseverance of Arup and his partners has became just as strongly linked to its story and ultimate success.

In a 1964 BBC interview Arup described the project as by "far the most difficult and almost too exciting". The Opera House wouldn't be finished for another nine years, yet this quote neatly sums up his relationship with it. He took no part in detailed design after the roof structure was resolved but he was in great demand to explain the stormy story. Less obvious to the outside world was the effect the project had on him personally. It seems he lost his unihibited enthusiasm for architects in general and his ability to trust those outside his own team. Sydney Opera House: A low note | The Economist purchase-rights icon AS THE Sydney Opera House took shape in the late 1960s people in Melbourne, Australia’s second-biggest city, sniggered at dramas over construction problems and cost blowouts. But the opera house went on to become Australia’s most iconic building, and one of the great architectural wonders of the 20th century. This year it is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its opening in 1973. Yet Melburnians are feeling a bit smug once again.

This is because Arts Centre Melbourne, the city's main cultural venue, is now staging a lavish production of Richard Wagner's four-opera Ring Cycle, which began on November 18th. It is the first Ring production in the 57-year history of Opera Australia, the country's main opera company, based in Sydney. With an estimated budget of A$20m ($18.6m), it is also the company's biggest venture. Melbourne is hosting the Ring Cycle partly owing to cost. This production's biggest supporter is a Melburnian and a Wagner fan: Maureen Wheeler, co-founder with her husband Tony of the “Lonely Planet” publishing outfit, kick-started the Ring’s planning three years ago with a A$5m gift. But there is another reason: the auditorium at the Sydney Opera House is too small. Its imperfections date from foolhardy planning interventions by the New South Wales state government 47 years ago. The legacy has left a standing joke: “Australia has the best opera house in the world. The exterior is in Sydney and the interior is in Melbourne.” A confidential state government report last year delivered a blunt warning about this legacy.

It cited a study that placed Sydney’s opera theatre at the bottom of international rankings for opera on 14 criteria. Outdated equipment, sub-standard acoustics and a deficient stage-size were among them. Unless the Sydney house’s interior is brought up to 21st-century technical standards, the report said, “the building will inevitably decline further to a point where it may cease to be functional”. Jorn Utzon, a Danish architect, won an international competition for the opera house’s design in 1957. His revolutionary vision of soaring, sail-like roofs harmonized with the building’s harbour location. Under the sails, Mr Utzon designed a large hall capable of staging orchestral concerts and operas, and a smaller one mainly for drama. But after he had worked on the building in Sydney for nine years, the then conservative state government forced Mr Utzon out in 1966 amid rows over costs. Daryl Dellora, author of “Utzon and the Sydney Opera House”, a new book, calls this a “triumph of base politics over art”. The government installed a committee of local architects to finish the job.

They switched the halls’ functions, allocating the big hall just to concerts and pushing opera and ballet into the smaller hall, with a cramped orchestra pit and poorer acoustics. Mr Utzon died in Denmark in 2008, aged 90, without ever returning to Australia, or seeing his finished flawed masterpiece. But a decade earlier, the then-Labor state government had approached Mr Utzon seeking reconciliation. In a bid to right past wrongs, it invited him to become the opera house’s design consultant. Mr Utzon accepted. Those who met him then found him anything but bitter. Mr Utzon told Richard Johnson, a distinguished Sydney architect, that he felt lucky to have got as far as he did with such a daring project. “He said it could only have happened in the new world, from a place that felt optimistic and was trying to make a statement about its future,” Mr Johnson recalls. In his new role, Mr Utzon prepared refurbishment plans for the opera theatre to create more seats, a wider stage and an expanded orchestra pit capable of holding 104 musicians, about 35 more than it does now.

Jan Utzon, Mr Utzon’s architect son, has travelled to Sydney about 30 times in the last 14 years to liaise with the opera house and the state government over his father’s refurbishment vision. In Sydney recently for 40th birthday celebrations, he said he hoped they could be realised in time for the 50th bash. That could depend on whether Sydney has learned from its mistakes about political squabbles over money. The opera house cost A$102m to build. The state government report last year estimated the cost of rebuilding the opera theatre alone at almost six times that figure. Together with revamping the complex’s concert hall and three drama theatres, the total cost would be A$825m. The state government that commissioned the opera house in 1957 paid for it by launching a public lottery in its name. Revisiting that option would be awkward: the state’s lotteries have since been privatised. Hopes for funding the renovations would seem to rest on the federal and New South Wales governments sharing costs. A recent survey showed 77% of Australians supported that idea. So far, there are no signs of it happening.

Meanwhile Lyndon Terracini, artistic director of Opera Australia, calls for a different solution to Sydney’s opera problems. He proposes leaving the inadequate opera theatre intact and building a second but bigger one underground, beneath Sydney’s botanical gardens facing the opera house. In the meantime, Mr Terracini plans to repeat the Ring season every three years, but only in Melbourne. Much is at stake in fixing the opera house inside. Utzon’s white sails draw about 8m visitors a year. Many never see the faults underneath; others are prepared to forgive them. Access Economics, a consultancy, estimates the opera house contributes about A$734m a year to the Australian economy, from performances and its status as the country’s biggest tourist destination. Yoko Ono, a Japanese-American conceptual artist, and widow of John Lennon, says Utzon’s design inspired some pieces in her exhibition “War is Over! (if you want it)”, which opened recently at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia near the opera house. There are signs of hope. After Utzon was re-engaged, two parts of the opera house were adapted to his original plans. Walls on the building’s western foyers were removed, and their vision opened up to Sydney Harbour.

A small function room was rebuilt to his initial design and named the Utzon Room. Can the same happen to the opera theatre? “The wheels of change are slow,” says Mr Dellora. “But they have begun to turn.”

Question: In what year was the building of the 'Sydney Opera House' finished?
Answer: 1973